ANN MARIE DALTON SIGNS OFF
US COLLEGE DAYS WITH
BIG SOUTH TITLE VICTORY

Ireland's Ann Marie Dalton, pictured right, has scored her first win on the US college circuit in her very last tournament after four years at High Point University, North Carolina.

Ann Marie capped her collegiate career by winning the Big South Conference Championship after rallying in the final round to force a play-off with Channel Islander Olivia Higgins (Charleston Southrn) and then winning the title at the fifth extra hole at the Patriot Golf Club, South Carolina.

Dalton, a native of Carlow, Ireland, carded a tournament-best round 73 on the final day making up a seven shot deficit on tournament leader Higgins of Charleston Southern to force the sudden-death play-off.

Both players finished with 54-hole totals of 229 and then matched each other shot-for-shot through four extra holes until Dalton parred the par-5 fifth hole to edge Higgins for the crown.

"It is just an amazing feeling," said Dalton. "I am so excited to finally win a collegiate tournament and I can't think of a better way to end my career than by winning the Big South Championship. I felt like I played pretty well all three days, but today I was very relaxed on the course. I was just out there having fun and trying to enjoy the round. I feel like my putting was the difference in the play-off. This is a huge success not only for me but also the High Point University golf program."

There was some consolation for Olivia Higgins in that her college, Charleston Southern, led wire-to-wire in capturing the team title with a total of 931 and will go forward to the post-season NCAA Regional championship.. Coastal Carolina (935) were runners-up. High Point finished sixth of eight.

Dalton, who will be 23 on May 12, is the first High Point University golfer to win a Big South Conference title. In addition, her play earned her a spot on the All-Big South squad to go along with her Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year award she garnered earlier.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS

Par 216 (3 x 72). 5950yd.

229 Ann Marie Dalton (High Point) 80 76 73, Olivia Higgins (Charleston Southern) 73 76 80 (Dalton won play-off at fifth extra hole).

230 Sara Hester (Winthrop) 76 76 78.

REST OF US COLLEGE NEWS IN BRIEF


*Roseanne Niven (California) from Crieff finished joint 21st on 152 with rounds of 73 and 79 in the Peg Barnard Invitational over the par-71 Stanford University golf course of 6,117yd. Karinn Dickinson (Washington) was the individual winner with a pair of 71s for 142.

*Jacqueline Sneddon (Grand Canyon) from Meigle came joint 10th on 174 with scores of 88 and 86 in the Maverick Invite tournament over a par-72 course of 6031yd. The Scot finished 18 shots behind winner Cicilia Chudivan (CSU-Monterey Bay) with 71 and 85 for 156.

*Grant Carnie (Brevard College) from Ellon finished joint fifth with scores of 77, 74 and 74 for a total of 225 in the Southern Atlantic Conference championship at Hickory Golf Club, North Carolina. Grant, who had finished joint seventh only a week or two earlier in the Independent Collegiate Invite, took 17 shots more than the eight-stroke winner, Ben Lown (Newberry College) with 70, 68 and 70 for 208.
Carnie's team-mates, Myles Johnston from Bo'ness and Craig Galloway from West Lothian, finished joint 26th and 35th respecitively with totals of 233 (80-75-78) and 240 (79-79-82).

*Adam Lindsay (Ohio Wesleyan) from Banchory finished joint 37th in the Wartburg Invitational at Centennial Oaks Country Club. Adam scored 83 and 78 for 161 - 22 shots behind the winner Nick Profancik (Maryville) with 72 and 67. Profancik was different class. He won by nine strokes.

*Natasha Podmore (San Francisco) from Appleton came seventh of 25 in the West Coast Conference championship at Chambers Bay GC, Washington State. Natasha scored 77, 78 and 82 for 237. Two Pepperdine University players, Leanne Bowditch and Taylor Karle, tied for victory on 220 - 12 shots ahead of third-placed Jessica Potter (San Francisco).

*Harriet Owers-Bradley (Yale University) from Nottingham scored 83, 86 and 85 for a total of 254 and joint 30th place in the quaintly-named Roar-ee Invitational at Hampshire Country Club in Mamaronek, New York State.
It must have been tough going over the par-71, 5,833yd course because the winner, Natalia Jimenez (Brigham Young), was 16 over par at the death with scores of 77, 76 and 76 for 229 to win by four strokes. Yale (988) finished third of 14 behind Brigham Young (942) and Harvard (965).